Portable tables are often required by schools, churches, universities, convention centers, hotels, industry and private individuals for diverse purposes such as for food service, meetings, conferences, education and the like. Such tables must be rugged and able to withstand hard use and must be a good value. It is highly desirable for such tables to be made of lightweight materials so that they can be easily lifted by one or more persons and carried to the desired location, such as to a storage room or another use location.
Such portable tables typically have a generally planar table top member and a folding leg assembly. The table top member typically consists of a frame in combination with a table top surface. The folding leg assembly typically consists of two pairs of spaced apart outer legs. Each pair of legs is mounted so that the legs may be folded between a position in which the legs are retracted against the table bottom and a further position in which the legs are extended from the table to support the table on a surface, such as a floor surface.
While the known prior art includes many portable tables, those tables have a number of important disadvantages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,865 (Raab), U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,081 (Raab) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,854 (Tarnay et al.) each describe tables having a table top with a reinforcement panel and interconnected frame structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,037 (Hornberger et al.) describes a table having a table top which includes a multi-part frame having interlocking frame elements and corner pieces and further includes a lightweight core held in place by adhesive between upper and lower plastic shells. As is apparent, the structure of each table is complex and requires many interconnected parts. The numerous required parts are of complex construction unduly adding cost and complexity to the manufacturing process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,808 (Dutro et al.) describes a table having a table top shell element filled with a porous hardened plastic foam. Strength and rigidity is provided by a complex array of conical regions and ribs formed in the shell. However, no separate internal reinforcing support structure is provided thereby limiting the structural integrity of the table.
Other tables, such as the tables of U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,576 (Cobos et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,020 (Price), utilize support components made of wood. U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,338 (Bonham) requires a wood and plastic laminate top and an extensive support frame including peripheral and interior support beams. The structure of each table is complex. Components are required which add unnecessary weight, making the tables unduly difficult to transport.
A new table which would include a unitized table top providing structural integrity and durability, which would include a minimum number of parts, which would include less complex parts and which would be of lightweight construction would represent a notable advance in this field of technology.